Ocean Avenue
by neshy
Summary: Noah's band is playing a gig, but the song can only remind him of his past. Puckleberry, songfic. T for mild swearing and sexual references.


**AN: FINALLY! My first Glee fic! I've had several ideas, but a songfic seems a fitting way to enter the world of Glee fanfiction writing. Hopefully some of you will remember the song, it was released in 2003. If you don't know it, look it up on Youtube. It's called Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard.**

**Also, I have a blog up where I post my thoughts and notes on my stories, and a Glee RPG that needs roles filled. Links are on my profile, so check them out!**

_**Disclaimer: Despite my constant wishing, I do not own Glee or Mark Salling. He is a sexy beast meant to fantasize with only as punishment of rooting Finchel during the first few episodes (because, really, who thought of putting Rachel with Puck before Mash-Up?).**_

It was all her fault. She got me hooked on the thrill of performing. She pushed me to follow my dreams. As my band starts playing and I start singing, I can't help but remember why I chose _this_ song.

_There's a place off Ocean Avenue_ _Where I used to sit and talk with you_ _We were both 16 and it felt so right_ _Sleeping all day, staying up all night_

_Staying up all night_

It was a tradition. Every Wednesday night, I would sneak out of the house and drive to Rachel's. Where we went—be it her room, my backyard, or the 7-11 two towns over—never mattered, as long as we got to be together and chill. It became even more fun after we started dating, because we would fool around in the back of my truck.

_There's a place on the corner of Cherry Street _ _We would walk on the beach in our bare feet_ _We were both 18 and it felt so right_ _Sleeping all day, staying up all night_ _Staying up all night_ It was a tradition. Every year, the graduating seniors would make the trip to Ocean City and spend one last week together before college. Rachel and I spent all the time together we could—she was accepted to Julliard, and I to Ohio State. We walked up and down the beach for hours at a time, often staying out until the beach closed. That's when we'd go back to our room and have awesome sex until we were exhausted. That was one of the last times I saw her. _There's a piece of you that's here with me_ _It's everywhere I go, it's everything I see_ _When I sleep, I dream and it gets me by_ _I can make believe that you're here tonight_ _That you're here tonight_ I still think of her. After five years, I have never stopped loving her. I compare everyone I see to her—they have her shiny hair, they dress like her, they have the same mouth. I still see her; she haunts me. As much as I wanted, I couldn't move on. If I had known that, I wouldn't have broken up with her. _I remember the look in your eyes_ _When I told you that this was goodbye_ _You were begging me not tonight_ _Not here, not now_ _We're looking up at the same night sky_ _And keep pretending the sun will not rise _ _We'll be together for one more night_ _Somewhere, somehow_ We were at the park, a few weeks before we went to college. It was our two and a half year anniversary, and I wanted to step up our relationship. I had a ring, a picnic basket, my guitar, and her fathers' blessings. I knew that I could never live without her, or find anyone else who I could love as much—or who would love me the way she does. She was the first person (except for my mom and sister) to look past "Puck" and see Noah. I never got the chance to propose. I never got the chance to play her a song. We started bickering (Rachel's been a major influence on my vocabulary. That sentence proves it) about the distance, and she had doubts that we could work out in a long-distance relationship. My temper got the best of me, and I lost it. "Well, if that's how you feel, then maybe we should just end it now!" "Noah, you know that's not what I was saying!" "Do you not trust me?! Have the past two and a half years been a waste?!" "Noah, stop! Not tonight, please, not tonight! I don't want to fight!" Tears were streaming down her face, but she still looked beautiful. "Neither do I. It's over. And to think, I wanted to spend my life with you!" Her hands flew to her mouth, realizing what I had said. She muttered too quietly for me to hear, and ran off, driving away in my truck. I watched her leave, then kicked a tree when it sunk in. "Fuck!" _If I could find you now things would get better_ _We could leave this town and run forever_ _I know somewhere, somehow we'll be together_ _Let your waves crash down on me and take me away, yeah_ I instantly regretted everything I said that night. I went to her house the next day to try to patch things up, but her dads told me that she left early for New York. I fell to my knees and cried on their front porch, not caring if anyone saw me. I wear her ring on a chain around my neck. It reminds me of her, and of what I have to lose when I act like an idiot. To this day, I would be more than happy to see her just long enough to apologize. -oOoOo- We finished our set and packed our equipment before leaving through the back door, the only unlocked door at this late hour. I continue down the alley, humming to myself as the busy New York streets come into focus. "Noah?" I drop my guitar, hoping that I'm not turning schizophrenic. She calls my name again, and I turn slowly on my heel. I run over to her and hug her and touch her and kiss her and apologize being an asshole all those years ago. 


End file.
